Weak Dollar and Pristine Beaches Send Vacationers Flocking ti Bald Head Island

WEAK DOLLAR AND PRISTINE BEACHES

SEND VACATIONERS FLOCKING TO BALD HEAD ISLAND

Close-to-Home Getaway Attracting Celebrity Attention

BALD HEAD ISLAND, NC – Considering the alarming speed at which we move through our lives, it’s no wonder that a staggering 50 percent of all illnesses in this country are stress related.  Taking time out for a truly rejuvenating vacation has become nothing less than imperative. 

Now consider a pristine island getaway where rushing is practically impossible.  Where the only sound is the wind, surf and wildlife, and the only decision is whether to nap in the hammock or walk the beach.  Here, there are no cars—residents and vacationers get around by electric cart at a maximum speed of 18 mph.  This bucolic location is Bald Head Island, a 14-mile island accessible only by boat and located just two nautical miles off the southeastern coast of North Carolina. 

Visitors to Bald Head Island will be in good company—a number of celebrities own second homes or vacation on the island.  We’d love to tell you who they are, but won’t for the very same reasons these savvy celebrities choose Bald Head Island in the first place:  privacy, seclusion and an unparalleled escape from their busy lives.

With the dollar remaining weak in overseas markets, more travelers are exploring stateside destinations.  At just under a two-hour flight from New York City and 90 minutes from D.C., Bald Head Island combines the convenience of a close-to-home vacation with the remoteness of an exotic island location.  Think tropical island in your own backyard.  While the island is just 14 miles long, it boasts south, east and west facing beaches, a salt marsh and a maritime forest.

Vacationers will enjoy the “mild adventure” inherent in a largely undeveloped environment – biking through the ancient maritime forest, kayaking in the salt marsh – while still enjoying the creature comforts of a fine resort.  The adventure begins with a 20-minute ferry ride and continues with the electric tram that delivers vacationers to their rental property.

Island activities range from a July 4th golf cart parade featuring creatively decorated carts to the worldwide Beaujolais Nouveau wine tasting celebration.  This year also marks the first full season of the 10,000 square foot Shoals Club, an $11 million oceanfront pavilion inspired by the beachfront clubs of yesteryear.  It’s the only club on the east coast built on a cape point, affording views of the sunrise and sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.

Bald Head Island is accessible by ferry or private boat from Indigo Plantation and Marina in Southport, NC.  The island operates daily ferries with hourly departures from 8:00 a.m.  Return evening hours vary by day and season.  Open to the public, the island features more than 800 homes, including condominiums and single-family residences, and over 200 year-round residents.  Of the island’s 12,000 acres, 10,000 acres of beach, salt marsh and maritime forest are protected and will remain undeveloped; 2,000 acres were set aside for development.  To experience the exceptional nature of Bald Head Island, visit www.baldheadisland.com.

###